


Our Journey Together

by AquaticKuri



Category: Tales of Graces, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
Genre: Action, Adventure, Complicated Relationships, Friendship, Gay Sex, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Marriage, Resolved Argument Prompt Exchange, Romance, Slice of Life, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2020-10-20 07:29:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20671586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AquaticKuri/pseuds/AquaticKuri
Summary: This story takes place six months after the end of Symphonia Dotnw. Emil and Marta journey together while Richter does his own thing...but soon they come across Asbel and Richard who are also on a journey of their own.Bringing Tales of Symphonia Dawn Of A New World together with Tales of Graces in a beautiful story.





	1. Chapter 1

Emil and Marta had been on the road for six months now and the season of Celsius was now upon them while they traveled, covering the land in a blanket of snow, chilling the skin with cold breezes. While traveling together, Marta would ask questions like "Should we go here?" or "Do we need this?" and sometimes "Do you want to rest for a bit?" All while Emil was only half-heartedly listening, along with his slight nods and short responses, such as "Sure" or "That's fine" because as of recently, Emil had been neck-deep in his own journal, reading, and scribbling, taking notes and sometimes just adding a few comments to some of the pages. Marta felt a little neglected by this and wanted to ask him about it, but lately, he hadn't been a very open book about his journal the way he used to... it made her feel like it had become more like a secret dairy than a journal about their adventures together.

Emil and Marta finally reached Palmacosta, as Marta wanted to make a quick visit to see her dad, make sure he was doing alright. They also hoped to get a quick bite to eat before heading back on the road. She and Emil both agreed to meet up at the pub when they were both finished and went their separate ways with a smile and a wave of the hand goodbye.

The boy sighed a white misty cloud, watching it disappear into the cold air as he held his journal close to his chest, lost in his own thoughts as he watched the sky, studying how gray the blue sky looked and how slow the clouds moved. Suddenly broken from his daydreaming, he was startled but the dark Centurion who appeared before him, gazing at him and his journal curiously with his mischievous amber eyes.

"And what exactly is it that you've been writing in there?" He asked as he peered over, hoping to snatch the journal from his master. In response, Emil quickly leaned from side to side and even ducked down to avoid the Centurion's hand-like tail.

"It's private and not for a nosey Centurion like you!" The boy finally spouted,

"I see, very well then," The Centurion said with a sigh, disappointed in the outcome...but what really bothered the Centurion was his master's sudden secrecy. Emil had a few secrets sure but he had always been open about sharing his journal before. But with respect for his master, he says nothing more and disappears into a black misty cloud as it fades into the cold air.

Emil sighed, slumping his shoulders. It's not like he wanted to hide anything from his faithful Centurion or Marta but...his mind had recently been filled with a very cool, very smart, very tall red-headed half-elf recently, and it was a bit embarrassing and he didn't feel comfortable sharing his thoughts about the man the way he used to.

"Richter-san" The name left his lips in a whisper, as he closed his eyes and allowed the memories of his time with the older man to flood his mind. He remembered the time they first met in Luin and how the man used to intimidate him before, their secret travels together, and most of all, their conversations. Richter had helped Emil overcome obstacles in his life...even helping him to open up and build his self-confidence to speak his mind and protect what's most important to him. 

The blond boy continued to stand in the middle of the cold streets of Palmacosta, eyes closed with his mind still flooded with thoughts of the half-elf, unable to stop the lonely feeling in his heart as his thoughts continued. The Palmacosta plaza was crowded, people passing by and shoving passed the boy, all in a hurry to get home, or prepare for the coming holidays... but not once did Emil open his eyes or pay them any mind. Just then, something or rather, someone, broke the boy from his trance when an all too familiar and stoic voice called to him from behind.

"Emil?" The voice called. The boy shot his eyes open, quickly turning his head to see the tall redhead standing behind him with a bit of a surprised look on his face but Emil was just happy to see him after so long. When Emil turned around to get a full view of the man, his heart almost jumped out of his chest from the sight of him. His beautiful tan skin that made those emerald green eyes stand out so vibrantly, framed by those silver glasses, and that long red hair...He was just like how he remembered him, and that was enough to bring a smile to the boy's face.

"Richter-san, what are you doing here?" The boy asked as the last time they had heard from him was through his Centurion Aqua. According to her, Richter had gone off to travel the world, never to be heard from as he would research and explore places no other has, studying different types of plants, ruins, and artifacts. So then why was the man in Palmacosta? Whatever the case, the boy was more than happy to see him, to finally reunite. 

"I should be asking you the same thing" He replied, as he had assumed that Emil and Marta would have found someplace together to live happily in.

"Well, Marta wanted to see her father" Emil explained, unable to stop the smile on his face, as he was still overjoyed by the man's sight, along with the all too familiar scent that came with the half-elf, sending his heart aflutter.

"I see...and what are you doing?" Richter asked, looking at the small blonde, who looked just the same as he remembered him. His head only reaching the lower part of his chest, his eyes kind and green, his hair a soft short blonde...in fact, sometimes it was hard for him to think of Aster when Emil was always the one to appear in his memories recently.

"I-I was just thinking about you, actually" Without even thinking, Emil responded. He was a bit embarrassed by his words, though it's not like friends couldn't say that to each other though, so it should be fine...Is what he told himself but that didn't really seem to help with the embarrassment he felt. It was one thing to tell Lloyd or Zelos that he had thought about them, but it was a whole nother story when it came to Richter.

"...I see" You couldn't quite tell, but it had made Richter a little happy knowing the boy had thought about him in the past 6 months. He adjusted his glasses to keep himself composed as he fought the small blush that dared to graze his cheeks. To answer the boy's previous question, Richter returned his gaze to the young blonde and said. "I came to Palmacosta to pick up a book that an acquaintance of mine left at Marbles for me"

"R-Really? Can I come with you to pick it up?" The blonde boy asked, eager to walk by the man's side once more, not wanting to lose sight of him just yet.

"...Fine" The older man sighed a white cloud, as he too couldn't help but miss the boy at his side, that and it was always hard to turn down those puppy eyes. But most of all, he loved to watch how the boy's face would light up when he would answer one of his questions or allowed him to travel at his side...it was always cute see.

And so, the two walked through the cold streets of Palmacosta together to pick up Richter's book from the store. The whole way over there, their walking pace was slow as they exchanged their stories from their six months of being apart. The two didn't have to be enemies anymore, so they could be as open and honest as they wanted with nothing to hide. Emil was beaming with excitement as he talked, while Richter wore a slight smile on his face as he listened carefully to his words, realizing just how much he had come to miss the boy's presence in his life, that kind and sweet smile, the way the blonde always looked at him with such admiration and excitement...you could say it warmed his heart even. " Richter-san" The way he calls out his name with that sweet voice, with that kind and innocent face that was no longer Aster's but Emil's, always put a slight flutter in his heart...lighting a bright candle in his dark world.

* * *

It was at least twenty minutes before the two had finally reached the store. The book Richter received from the young girl looked a bit old and had strange writing on the front of it and looked like it might be a little heavier than most books that size, which wasn't very big, but very thick. Emil had asked Richter what it was about as he had a questioning look on his face. Richter was slightly amused when he saw how curious the boy was and only explained that it was about a very special summon spirit, and that it was written in the ancient elven language, teasing the boy to further his curiosity. Once they exited the store, Richter had come to a halt in their walking and turned around to face the small boy, who seemed to be giving him another questioning look but this time with a slight tilt of his head.

"Richter-san?"

"Now that I have my book, I need to head out again and make my way to the northern mountains," The older man explained, carefully tucking the book away in his bag.

"O-Oh...right..." The boy lowered his head, as he had forgotten that the half-elf was only visiting. Being with Richter was like being in another world, and realizing that he was soon going to leave him again after so long, made the boy feel like the world around him was crumbling, being forced to realize the reality of everything, wanting to just run away and stay at the older man's side forever, stay in his world that he's come to know as Richter.

"...Emil" Richter hadn't spoken loud enough for the blonde's ears to hear but he could see the torn look in the boy's eyes, even if his head was lowered, he knew it was there.

"Richter-sama, why don't you stop someplace to read the book?" Aqua suddenly suggested as she appeared through a mass of blue bubbles, floating beside the half-elf as she curled her hair-tail around the older man's shoulders in a friendly manner, suggesting that she must do this with him often.

"....." As much as Richter might appreciate the Centurion, he really wished she would stop butting in when it came to his personal affairs...like when she told Emil things in the past that she shouldn't have, or asking Emil to come to Triet that one time long ago...though in the end, it did benefit him one way or another.

"Aqua?" The boy turned his head towards the Centurion, questioning her sudden appearance, but when she gave a quick wink at the young blonde, he instantly knew what she was doing and played along. "Y-Yeah, why don't you stay a bit to read the book!" he encouraged, holding his fists to his chest, hoping he could convince the older redhead to stay in town a bit longer. Richter sighed a white cloud, as he felt the two pair of eyes, looking at him as they were gleaming with hope. "Fine" He huffed, tossing his hair and letting it fall back into place, accepting his defeat against the two pairs of pleading eyes.

"Really?" Emil asked, grinning from ear to ear as his cheeks glowed a soft pink.

"Yes...now stop staring at me like that," He said, turning away to adjust his glasses in an attempt to keep the small build of heat that was growing in his own cheeks. The boy and Centurion chuckled and giggled to celebrate their victory against the redhead.

The three now made their way to the Palmacosta inn, since Richter never leaves a book unfinished once he starts...though that could just be an old habit from working in Syback. Emil assumed that once Richter was finished, he would most likely stay the night and leave early in the morning, so maybe if he got up early too, he could see the man off. Once they had reached the inn, Richter got a key to the top floor after paying the price and headed upstairs. He would just share the room with the boy until it was time for bed and have him leave, so it should be okay to share it until then. He opened the wooden door and locking it behind him after allowing the boy passage first.

* * *

Richter removed his shoes, gloves, and coat, sitting down on the bed with the sheets over his legs. Something about the sight of older man without his gloves and coat made the young boy's heart pound harder. His skin crawled as if it craved those hands and the warmth that they carried to touch and caress him. His face began to heat up but he quickly shook his head to cease the heat from growing and quickly removed his own shoes, taking a seat beside the redhead, hoping the man won't mind. Before disappearing into thin air, the Centurion lit the lamps in the room to help give the room more lighting and even help keep the cold out, even if its just a little.

Emil pulled his knees up to his chest, pulling out his journal from his bag and flipped it open, quickly scribbling away about all that happened between him and the older today. While writing and sitting so close together, the boy realized he could study the man much easier, like how his breathing was slow, the way his chest would expand when breathing in or how the man would rub his eyes a bit after removing his glasses before continuing to read again. Emil even noticed that it happened every two hours and most of all, he couldn't help but notice just how nice Richter smelled when sitting this close to him...It was almost soothing.

The temperature had dropped and Chonos continued to pass until this side of the earth had become Shadow's domain as Luna had risen high in the sky, stars sparkling like pieces of everyone's prayers in the night sky all lighting up together, lighting up the dark night. Richter rubbed his eyes, finally closing the book and setting it down in his bag, slightly relieved to have finally finished it. But when he looked over his shoulder to check on the boy, the young blonde seemed to have fallen asleep long ago with his journal in his lap and his head tilted to the side with his cheek rested on his own shoulder, just barely tucker in his scarf. Richter sighed at the sight of the boy and carefully pulled the journal out from his lap but once the book was in his hands, he noticed that the current pages that the journal was open to, was a beautifully sketched picture of himself with Emil by his side, as well as Aqua and Tenebrae.

"Did Emil really draw this?" It looked really good, having no idea the boy could draw so well...unlike Aster. His eyes then noticed the writing next to it, about how he breathed and rubbed his eyes...it was written in such a way that it was really sweet how the boy paid such close attention to him.

"Emil..." He whispered, moving his gaze from the boy's journal to the boy himself, sleeping so peacefully.

Richter set the boy's journal down on the nightstand beside him and carefully laid him down on the bed, gently tossing the sheet over him, lightly and gently giving a soft pet to the boy's soft head of hair. As he eyed the boy, painful thoughts and memories of trying to kill him so long ago came to mind..."How could I have really tried to take his life?" He thought, damning himself for being so stupid...Aster must have already been mad at him for cooperating with the demons and corrupting the Vanguard, so he must have really made Aster angry with him back when he was trying to kill a boy who loved and admired him so much...He had been such a fool back then.

"Aster...did you send Emil over to stop me?" He murmured, smiling down at the young boy. He might have missed Aster deeply and wished that he could travel by his side again...but with Emil by his side, he knows he'll be just fine and even if looking back to Aster filled his heart with pain, it'll become a fond memory of the past while looking forward into his future, thanks to Emil for saving him...for Ratatosk giving him that second chance.

* * *

Aska had risen now, lighting and warming the cold streets of Palmacosta with its warm raises. Emil slowly opened his eyes to Aska's warm light that gently caressed his face. He quickly sat up when he realized what time it was, and quickly scanned the room...but Richter was nowhere to be seen.

"He's gone..." The boy lowered his head, feeling the aching in his heart once more and fell back onto the bed...that is until he realized he was in a bed.

"H-He must have let me sleep in the bed instead..." Emil blushed at the man's kindness and dug his nose into the pillow, taking in the scent that the man had left behind. The scent was faint but it still smelled so much like him that it made his heart race. While taking in as much of the smell as he could, he realized a thin strand of hair that the man had left behind on the bed and quickly sat up once more. He gulped, feeling nervous as more blood rushing to his face when he reached for it, trembling. He had never touched Richter's hair before, so he couldn't help but feel nervous, even if it was just a single thread of his red hair.

"Richter-san..." With a gentle and careful motion, he picked up the red thread of hair. It was soft and thick, still retaining the wonderful scent of the man. Emil quickly grabbed his journal from the nightstand and taped the thread to a blank page where he ended up sketching a picture of the man, looking as stoic as ever. He smiled at the image and blushed a bit at the thread of hair. When he flipped the page to bookmark his spot in the journal, he froze, his heart pounding against his chest and his face lighting up like fire.

"R-R-R-Richter-san...w-w-wrote in m-my j-j-journal!?" Emil carefully traced every letter with his finger as he read through it, imagining those warm bare hands stroking every letter with his feathered pen, sending a chill down his spine as his blush grew a darker shade of red.

"Emil, thank you for always believing in me, even when I pushed you away. I'm sorry I never told you this before up until now but thank you for everything, you really helped Aster with a fool like me. Sleep well Emil and don't hesitate should you wish to travel by my side again, it'll be nice to travel as friends and not as enemies." There were no words to describe how Emil felt. He trembled and held the book tightly to his chest, feeling his heart ache inside, completely touched by the older man's words.

Emil's heart fluttered, overwhelmed with joy...but something suddenly dawned on him. "Would Richter-san love me back?" He wondered, as Richter didn't seem the type to love another guy, not that he himself was either but in this case, Richter was special and the only man he could ever find attractive. Emil lowered his head at this thought, realizing now that his precious Richter might never love him the same way...Just then, he heard the familiar voice of Marta calling out from outside the building, calling for him.

"I-I completely forgot to meet back up with Marta!" He explained out loud, quickly getting out of bed, putting his shoes on and heading out the door. He fiddled with the doorknob for a minute before taking a glance behind his shoulder to have one last look at the bed that Richter had sat on...He closed his eyes to imagen the man for a moment just before exiting the room and quickly making his way downstairs and outside the building. He was quickly hit with the cold air of the town, goosebumps covering his skin, his breath revealed as a white cloud that fades into thin air.

"Emil!" The girl cried out, looking around town for the boy, worried something might have happened to him. Emil quickly noticed the young brunette and rushed over to her. When the two finally met up, the boy apologized to her, explaining that he had met up with Richter and ended up falling asleep. The young girl, of course, forgave him and they headed for the pub for a bite to eat and shield themselves from the cold. When the two ented the building, they both took a seat in the corner and made their order's. Emil was having a simple plate of green curry with freshly squeezed orange juice, and Marta with an ice tea and fruit salad.

"Um, so how was your dad?" The boy asked, taking a sip of his drink through his straw.

"He's doing okay...but he still feels really bad for what he did," The girl said, playing with one of the grapes in her bawl with the fork in her hand, her left cheek rested in her left palm. She desperately wanted to help her father...but what could she do? Guilt wasn't something that was easy to get over, as well as being such a high ranked criminal locked in prison.

"Oh..." Emil understood that feeling of guilt more than anyone...as the death of Aster never stopped haunting him.

"S-So" Breaking the sad and awkward atmosphere, the girl asked, "Where do you want to go after this?"

Emil raised his head a bit and blushed as a thought came to mind. "I think we should head north"

"North?" She questioned with a slight tilt of her head.

"Y-Yeah, let's head north, up the mountains," He said, smiling brightly.

"Well, okay" She smiled in return. And so, the two finished their meals and made their way towards the northern mountains.


	2. Chapter.2

Today was thankfully peaceful, giving Asbel a chance to finally get some time off to head over to Barona, not that being busy ever stopped him though. As he was headed out the door, the young lavendered haired girl Sophie had come up to him, curious about where he was headed, as she assumed that wherever he was headed, she would be able to accompany him.

"Asbel, where are you going?" She asked, tilting her head to the side, not once blinking.

"I thought I would head over to Barona to see Richard," He said with a smile, as he knew Richard had his hands full and could use all the help he could get, so just like always, Abel would do anything to help lighten the poor king's burden.

"I see...may I come with you?" She asked, watching Asbel head down the stairs, still standing where she stood.

"No, that's okay Sophie. Cheria might need your help, so you should stay here" He explained. Cheria always hated it when Asbel would leave the house with Sophie because he never remembered to leave a note, so she never knew where they went when they were gone or how long they would be.

"Alright, hurry back soon then" She replied, smiling softly at him before heading off into the young man's office, most likely for that book about flowers his father had.

"I will, thanks" Asbel then headed out the door and rather than getting a ride, he chose to walk all the way over to Barona, so there were a few monsters to fight along the way but nothing his trusty frost breaker couldn't handle. It didn't even take a day before he finally reached Barona. He always loved the view of the area, the ice cream, the memories of being at the knight academy and most of all, he loved coming here to see Richard and remembering their time here as kids.

"Alright, I hope he's doing alright" He quickly made his way through the streets and headed for the castle; treated like an honored guest, he got in easy with no time was wasted before he finally reached the throne room. Before entering, Asbel remembered to knock, before he waited for the muffled sound of Richard's voice from behind the door, allowing him entrance. He smiled, finally pushing the doors open and stepping inside.

"Asbel? What are you doing here?" Richard asked, as there was a newly placed desk in front of the throne chair, stacked with a mountain of papers.

"Richard, I came to see you. I thought you might need some help and from the looks of it, you could use a lot of help" The young man said, mentioning the stack of papers, grinning playfully at the blonde kind with a dismayed expression.

"Heh, I guess I could use a little help" The young king chuckled lightly, smiling at the other man. It wasn't that Richard couldn't handle being king, but with having to make up for all the chaos he had caused, he slowly began accepting more and more charity work then he had time or people to do it all, not to mention sorting through which ones were filled out, which ones were unfinished and so on.

"Don't worry Richard, I'll help you as much as you need me to" Asbel said, taking some of the papers and reading them over, unable to hear the soft whisper of the king's kind and thoughtful words "I really do always wish for you to save me...and here you are"

"So what is all of this anyway?" The prune haired knight asked.

"Well, after all the chaos I did to the world...I started to try and make it up to the other country's by helping them with small favors or tasks that they needed help with...but I don't have enough time to tend to them all, nor do I have the troops" He explained. His eyes were full of regret as he gently held his hand up to his lower lip. Watching him closely, Asbel couldn't help but observe the king's every movement; how his eyelashes would light touch his cheeks every time they fluttered closed when he blinked or how his gloved fingers would gently caress his lower lip whenever he was in his thoughts. 

"Than let's start with some of the easier tasks and work together to get them done," The knight finally said with a confident smile, breaking his gaze away from the king's tender lips, to his sharp and kind warm brown eyes.

"Asbel...Thank you, I'm glad you came to my rescue once again" The blonde king said, smiling back at the younger man in white.

Asbel than took Richards hand and pulled him up from the throne chair. Before heading out to start on some of the requests, Richard took a small stack of papers for them to use as a to-do list and to mark them off as they completed them one by one.

* * *

There was something about traveling around, fighting and helping other's while alone with Asbel that made Richard feel like he was in his own personal garden, safe from the world around him. He felt happy, at peace, like nothing could ever harm him as long as he was beside Asbel. He couldn't help but always smile at the sight of the prune haired boy whenever he won a battle, watching him grow and become stronger.

"We finally finished off the monster's blocking the bridge" Asbel sighed with relief, wiping the small drops of sweat from his forehead.

"Yes, now the merchants and travelers can get through and out of Strahtah without harm" Richard too shared a smile, relieved for the travelers.

Richard marked off one of the pieces of paper and tucked it away back in Asbel's bag. The young man always seemed to stiffen whenever the blonde did so, almost as if he was bracing himself to feel the king's gloved fingers brush against him or his coat but every time, not once did it actually happen and yet, he continued to stiffen. The king, however, didn't even seem to notice this.

"Alright, so what's the next one?" Asbel asked, looking towards the young king.

"The next one is from Fendal. It says we're requested that we head north into the mountains and check for any hot springs" He explained, pointing towards the mountains far north that were white as a cloud, being one of the coldest mountains around the area.

"Hot springs? Why?" The young man asked, not exactly sure why someone would request that, but the thought of soaking in warm water did sound nice.

"The old couple that requested it said it would make for a nice place for the people of Zavhert to go, to warm up and rejuvenate themselves," The king explained, once again, brushing his finger against his lips, holding his elbow, revealing his beautiful and smart image. Although the prune haired boy was listening, he couldn't help but pay close attention to the blond's soft gloved hands touching his lips, remembering how those slender hands felt clasped inside of his. He had held his hand more than once before and even wrapped his arms around his waist to pull him away from Lamda. He would often at times craved to wrap his arms around that body one last time, to feel their body heat collide once more.

"Alright, let's head north then," Asbel said, eager to feel the warm water and distract his mind from his previous thoughts.

Richard had to admit, soaking in some warm water might actually sound nice if they actually manage to find the hot springs, though, the thought of Asbel, the man who kindly and tirelessly works to help other's deserving to soak in the warm water seemed to please him much more.

* * *

As they were headed north, the two started to feel the cold hit them more and more, almost as though it were Celcius herself that was blowing wind on them. Richard seemed a bit more affected by it, more so than Asbel. Very aware of this, Asbel began to worry for the king's health, so he decided to have the young king to sit down and rest while he made a fire for the two of them. The young king felt so lucky and undeserving of having such a kind friend like Asbel...and yet he would curse the world should he ever lose him. Huddling up in a small cave, the two warmed themselves by the fire, feeling the warmth of the flames sooth the goosebumps under their clothing.

Asbel was sat beside Richard as they enjoyed the warmth of the fire together. The young man looked over and smiled at the young king, glad to see his dear friend warming up and out of that freezing cold. Although he had never said anything, Asbel had always thought of Richard as a flower. Beautiful, strong-willed but quite fragile when it comes to its physical form, so he always felt like he had to take care of Richard more carefully than the other people in his life.

"Asbel..." The royal blooded blonde called out, his voice low as he pulled his knees up to his stomach.

"Yeah, what is it, Richard?" The other responded, watching the flames absentmindedly.

"..." The king didn't respond, breathing softly.

"Richard?" When Asbel turned his head to see his friend, The young king's head rested against his white-sleeved shoulder as he had fallen fast asleep just moments ago. Asbel smiled, happy to let his friend lean on him. Because of his training back ta the knight academy, it was alright to leave the blonde leaning on him because he could sleep sitting without feeling bothered, so he closed his eyes and began to focus on the warmth of his friend's head, slowly losing his mind as he too, fall under slumber's grasp.


	3. Chapter.3

After encountering Emil, Aqua couldn't help but notice a slight change in Richter's behavior lately. He had been thanking her more than usual and graced her with that "Oh-So-HANDSOME" smile of his that she and Aster both use to love together so much. It's not that these things were bothering her, it was that Emil seemed to have put the man in a better mood, and really, that was a blessing since the day Aster had died...Aqua did enjoy Aster's company and often missed the days of seeing him and Richter smile together, but Ratatosk took him away and wore, he used his face to protect himself, just as he used Marta for bait.

"Aster..." She whispered, seeing now that the part of Ratatosk they call Emil, was the one who made a pact with Aster to use his form on Richter, not to hurt or protect himself, but to get close to Richter and give him a sense of comfort. Or at least, that's what she believed.

"Aqua" The older man's calling shook the Centurion out of her thoughts and back to reality. She quickly floated to his side.

"What is it Richter-sama?" She asked with a smile on her face.

"Do you sense any water nearby?" As he asked. Aqua took notice of the man's breath turning to a more clear white fog, meaning it must be getting colder as they got closer to the top of the mountains. Being that she was a Centurion, she doesn't exactly feel the cold very much, which is why she would study Richter closely for these kinds of things, like, even though he didn't show it much, she knew it must be hot weather if she noticed the sweat dripping from the man's neck or face and such as now, his misty breath for cold weather.

"Yes, I think somewhere at the top of the mountains, I sense an underground pool of water coming from the earth" She explained.

"Good, then let's keep going" Aqua nodded to the man's words. She couldn't tell if it was the water they were looking for, but she prayed to Ratatosk that this was the water they were looking for, other whys their walk here would be meaningless.

* * *

Further down below the mountain was Emil and Marta. They weren't very high up, but they were both already feeling the cold and weren't taking it very well, unlike a certain half-elf who didn't even seem bothered. Emil tried to be manly about the cold for Marta's sake, but they both knew that wouldn't last very long...and it didn't.

"E-Emil, w-w-why are w-we h-headed n-n-n-north for the mountains a-a-again?" Marta asked as her teeth shattered, rubbing her arms as they continued to head further up. What was Emil to say to this? Was he just suppose to say "I wanted to head up the freezing cold mountains just to see Richter?" No, he couldn't do that and he especially couldn't say that to Marta.

"U-Um...Well-" The boy had to think fast, but thankfully a certain red-eyed counterpart took the lead. "-I thought we could trudge through the cold and relax at a hot spring on the top of the mountain" He grinned a bit, receiving a flushed face from the girl, excited and embarrassed about the thought.

"E-Emil, that's so romantic of you!" Her blush grew, wrapping her arms tightly around the boy's arm, feeling his extra body heat warm her.

"Heh, anyway, I'll have you warmed up, Marta," He said, just before summoning his Centurion of fire. "Ignis, I command that you shield us from the harsh air of Celius and cast your warmth around!" And just like that, the air around Ratatosk became warm, blocking out all the cold air.

"Wow, that's amazing," The girl praised, feeling her body warm up quickly to the Centurion's power.

"So long as your at least stay in a miles reach, you should be warm" He explained, continuing to walk on ahead.

"Thank you, Ratatosk" She smiled, flushed in the face again by the summon spirit's kindness.

"Y-Yeah well..." He too felt his cheeks becoming a warmer color. "Let's just keep moving" Marta nodded at his words and quickly followed behind.

As they continued, Marta had noticed that Ratatosk had yet to return Emil, not that she minded since Emil had recently been ignoring her through his journal...though, after ditching her yesterday with Richter, he almost seemed too nervous to even touch his journal, while Ratatosk on the other hand never even thought about the dumb thing, so he calls it...But Why? Emil loves his journal, so why doesn't Ratatosk? Thinking about it, every time Ratatosk would take over in the past, it was always left to the girl to do all the writing for him.

"Ratatosk?"

"Hm?"

"How come you never write in your- er, Emil's journal?" She asked.

"Why? Because it's stupid" He continued " I don't treasure items the way humans do. If I have a special thought or image, I keep it in my memory, simple as that" He explained, but the way he said it kind of felt like he was mocking or finding it annoying that people did stuff like that.

"B-But haven't you ever had something you wanted to keep because someone gave it to you?" She asked as she couldn't understand that feeling, not wanting to keep a precious item. Marta couldn't agree with that at all, other whys she would never still be wearing her mother's hair ornaments. It was those flowers that helped her keep going when things got tough.

"No I haven't and I don't ever plan on getting one" His attitude was a bit harsher this time and continued to walk on ahead. Marta could get over it if that's how he felt, but now it felt like he would refuse a gift if someone were to give him anything, which would be rude and if so...Does that mean he wouldn't want anything that she would give him?

"Marta?" With green eyes suddenly returning, the boy worried for the girl, calling out her in a softer tone as he noticed her sad expression.

"Emil?" She broke from her thoughts and returned to the boy's side, happy to see those green eyes again.

"Are you okay?" He asked, worried about the girl, hoping Ratatosk hadn' done anything while he was gone.

"No, I'm okay," She said with a shake of her head, not wanting to worry him any further.

"Well...okay" He didn't exactly believe it but he knew Marta would tell him once she was ready to, so it would be okay.

* * *

Once it had gotten dark out, the two made a fire in a small cave, at least for the light since they were already warm with Ignis's powers. Marta was fast asleep, exhausted from the long hike. Emil however, was wide awake with his face glued to a certain page in his journal.

"Richter-san..." Emil whispered as he traced the words with his fingers, reading them over and over. His heart pounding away in his chest harder and harder with each read. Once more, the image of those strong warm hands of the redhead came to mind, writing and stroking every word on the piece of paper, feeling a tingly sensation run down his spine and gasped at the image of Richter's hands touching him next. His eyes widen, surprised by his own voice, quickly throwing a hand over his mouth when the air had escaped his lips, as his cheeks flushed a bright red. He couldn't believe his mind for being so dirty and much less thinking of something like that about the older man while the young girl slept across from him.

After mentally scolding himself, he finally realized just how much the rest of his body had reacted to the previous image. He was so embarrassed and quickly crawled under his sleeping bag, shutting his eyes tightly, hoping to fall asleep...but the thought's of the redhead refused to leave his mind...He thought of the older man all night before falling asleep...except for the fact that he ended up having a dream about the older man as well. His body was warm, sweating from head to toe. He began to stir in his sleep, clutching the fabric of his sleeping bag as if he was holding onto dear life itself. The blonde's breathing became heavy, gasping for air as the dream continued, feeling the redhead all over him, hearing that gruff and stoic voice whisper in his ear so soothingly.

"Nnhh...R...Richter...san...aah..." His soft pants slowly started to become moans, sweating more, breathing faster and heavier. His voice began to raise a bit more as he called out "Richter", gasping, panting, moaning until the boy was finally arching his own back in his sleep.

"Richter-san!~" Emil's eyes shot open and sat up quickly, realizing he had woken up from a dream and looked at his trembling hands. He could feel the amount of sweat coating his body and...how sticky and wet his pants had become, along with a stream of drool running down the side of his mouth. He felt so embarrassed, so ashamed... His whole face was heated, matching the same color as the Chosen's crimson hair. He wiped his mouth and quickly exited the cave to clean himself off. He felt so stupid, embarrassed and pathetic. How could he have such a dirty dream? And while sleeping across the young girl no less.

"D-Did I wake Marta!?" The boy's eyes suddenly widen in panic, making a quick scramble back to the inside of the cave, only to find Marta sleeping just as she was when he was awake. He sighed with relief and went back to his sleeping bag, but shivered when he felt the slight damp spots of sweat inside but tried to ignore it as he fell back to sleep, with a much clearer mind than before.

* * *

The sun had finally risen and Marta was wide awake, getting her and Emil's things together. As she was gathering their things, she saw Emil's journal peeking out from his bag. She froze and stared it down. She wanted to look, she wanted to know what the blonde boy had been writing...but it would be invading his privacy...But she had to know, so she extended her arm, slowly reaching her fingers toward the book. She gasped when a familiar hand swiped at her hand with a loud slap. She instinctively pulled her hand back and looked to see a pissed off pair of crimson eyes glaring her down.

"Don't touch my things!" He growled.

"I-I didn't!- I mean...I'm sorry!" Marta felt awful for even thinking of reading the boy's journal, deeply regretting her decision.

The boy's expression softened as he sighed "...It doesn't mean much to me if you read it, but that's Emil's private journal...so I'm sorry I snapped at you" He explained, feeling bad for getting so angry, especially since he didn't mean to hit the girl's hand so hard.

"N-No, I shouldn't have even tried to read it...and, thank you for looking out for Emil" The girl smiled warmly, happy to know Emil will always have someone to watch out for him, even it's just personal belongings, she was grateful.

"W-What!? I was just...Tch!" The boy blushed and crossed his arms, turning away from the girl. He would never admit it and was embarrassed by it, but it was true. He watched over his other half and fought for him because he knew how much the boy didn't want to even touch a sword. Even though Emil was another part of himself, he couldn't help but watch out for the boy like a brother or something, which often embarrassed himself for thinking that way.

Now that Ratatosk and Marta got back to heading forward, something started to stir inside of the summon spirit, something...in his heart. The more he thought about him and the girl getting further up the mountain, his heart began to beat faster when the thought of getting closer to Richter came to mind. He blushed fiercely at the memory of Emil's dream and shook his head violently, stomping ahead as he couldn't help but cures his other half for these thoughts.

Marta couldn't understand why the boy had a sudden outrage but continued to follow and thought it best not to ask, since he usually would end up telling her later, and figured he might be talking with Emil inside his head or something since it is something they did tend to do at times.

* * *

After a good half hour, The two of them heard fighting up ahead and hurried over to see what was going on. Being the one to take the lead, the boy was the first to see what was going on, and when he did, his eyes widen and felt his heart race when he saw the redhead. He eyed the man fighting against ten different monster's, looking so cool, so manly, so-

"-Isn't that Richter up ahead?" Marta mentioned "...Ratatosk?" When she looked over to see the boy next to her, she noticed the grin on the boy's face, cheeks flushed red. He looked crazy, excited almost as his eyes watched the man's every move.

"Rataotsk?" When she reached a hand for the boy's shoulder to gain his attention, he roughly shrugged her hand away and suddenly ran ahead.

"R-Ratatosk!?" She called out.

"Jushorai!" He called out, increasing his defense while sharp stones shot through the ground, attacking the few monsters around him before he leaped into the air, coming down and slashing at one of the monsters behind the older man, not once losing his grin or flushed cheeks, feeling his heart race like crazy. Richter's eyes widen at the sight of the boy and rather questioning it, he decided it best to wait and ask questions for later and face the monster's in front of him...but he had to admit, he missed fighting alongside the boy.

"Hold on, I can...help...too...?" When Marta ran over to help aid Richter and Ratatosk, she saw how in sync they were, and how strong they were together that they didn't need her. She was amazed by their teamwork and almost felt jealous by it for some reason...brokenhearted almost. She couldn't even be their healing, because of how quickly Richter could cast first aid and how well Ratatosk could watch his back while Richter would cast his spells. She was useless.

With the final blow, Richter ended the battle and Ratatosk eyed him for a moment before he allowed Emil control and smiled brightly running up to the older man. Richter greeted him with a slight smile on his face, sheathing his weapons. Marta followed after the boy but stayed a bit further back to give them some space, especially since she and the half-elf didn't get along very well...though she did have to admit he was pretty cool and was thankful that he was there for Emil back in Luin and helped him grow as a person and even for teaching Emil his magic words. It was those magic words that really helped him through the toughest of times, even her.

"Richter-san!" The boy smiled warmly with a rosy pink color grazing his cheeks.

"Emil...what are you doing here?" Richter asked, arching a brow. As happy as he was to see him, he couldn't help but wonder what the young blonde was even doing in the mountains with the girl.

"U-Um...I followed you" The small blonde nervously played with the bit of scarf that hung down, as he felt nervous with those eyes on him. Richter could most likely be a good interrogator with that intense staring, and honestly, it's partly how he always got an answer out of the timid boy, aside from raising his voice.

"You followed me?" The man crossed his arms, not exactly pleased, nor angered by his answer.

The boy nodded, his eyes shut tight "S-So would it be okay to come with you?" He asked, eager to join the man on an adventure once more.

He sighed. "Do as you like, I won't stop you" He scoffed before giving a slight toss to his hair. The boy smiled excitedly, overjoyed that he would be traveling with the older man once more. Richter couldn't help but find the boy's excitement to be cute, however, when he glanced behind his shoulder, he couldn't help but wonder if Emil had dragged the poor girl along without telling her about his plans or if he forgot she was here. It was one thing to have the small blonde come along with him...but having the girl too was another thing...

* * *

Now that the three of them were on the road together, Emil and Richter had become locked in a comfortable conversation between each other. The boy laughed, smiled and blushed more with the older man than he had ever done with anyone else and it started to get on the girl's nerves and as much as she wanted to break up their conversation, the redhead was a bit intimidating and the water centurion seemed to keep her from getting too close as if to protect the two from her.

"That Rich-tard, stealing my sweet Emil...!" She growled but cried in defeat as there wasn't much she could do at this point and decided now was the best time in her life to get back to writing in her own diary.

"So why are you headed up this mountain?" The boy asked, looking up at the man, as he walked beside him.

"Aqua and I had heard about there being a secret hot spring that could heal wounds and sickness, so we came looking for it"

"Wow, that sounds so cool" The boy exclaimed excitedly. The older man didn't exactly know what made it cool but continued to find the boy adorable.

"Maybe we could soak in the springs" The boy suggested, eager to relax his sore muscles.

"...Perhaps, if you want" The man smiled a bit, honestly needing a break himself...especially since he never actually slept because the boy had taken the bed...granted he was the one who let the boy sleep in.

"R-Really?" The blonde blushed a bit, excited to soak in the warm water.

After 3 hours of walking and talking with a little bit of fighting, the three of them finally reached the top of the mountain. Aqua could sense the water from within the mountain and thanks to Ratatosk, Solum used his powers to carve out the earth and release the springs to create a pool of hot water, leaving a stone like-house to create a hot spring bathhouse. Richter found it in unnecessary while Ratatosk felt proud of his Centurion's creativity.

"There, be thankful," Ratatosk said, grinning at the half-elf.

"Yes, thank you" Not expecting an actual thank you, much less a smile but none the less, Ratatosk blushed.

"Aqua, can you tell if this is the water?" Richter asked, turning his gaze towards the Centurion.

"Yes, I think so Richter-sama" She smiled brightly, excited about their discovery.

Just when all seemed well, Richter's ears picked up the sound of two other pairs of feet and drew his weapons. "Emil, stay close to me!" He called out, glaring in the direction of the sound. Ratatosk quickly took position at Richter's side, finding the man's choice of words when he called him over to be very manly, sending his heart aflutter. Marta joined the other two, readying her weapon with them as they carefully listening and waited for whatever it was that was approaching.


	4. Chapter.4

Once the sun had risen, Asbel woke up laying on the ground, rubbing his eye he realized a familiar black cape that was draped over him like a blanket. He got up from the ground and went over to the blond standing over their campfire, cooking what seemed to look like mushrooms and fish.

"Richard" Asbel smiled and sat beside his friend, warming his hands by the fire.

"Good morning Asbel" Richard smiled back, putting his cape back on and pulling the food off the fire and chopping them up on a flat stone. Once chopped, he dumped them into a miso broth with green onion in a wooden bowl. He handed the bowl to Asbel along with a wooden spoon.

"Thanks" Asbel kindly took the offered bowl and despite how simple it was, the soup was heartwarming and delicious.

"Do you like it? I'm not exactly the best cook like Cheria"

"No, it's great Richard. Even better than Cheria's" Asbel exclaimed with a smile, gazing into those kind and gently warm soft brown eyes.

"Asbel...your too kind" Richard blushed a bit and smiled, looking down into his own soup. He could never deserve a friend like Asbel and yet...he could never dream of being apart from him either. Richard instinctively scooted closer to Asbel from the lonely thought of losing said man and leaned against him, feeling Asbel's body heat warm him from the cold. Asbel just smiled and rested his head against Richard's, sniffing that wonderful smell that only Richard could make and felt his heart flutter. Richard was flushed at the tickling of Asbel's nose and felt a tingle run down his spine.

"A...Asbel, we should finish our soup"

"..." Asbel loved that sweet smell of Richard.

"Asbel"

"..." It was sweet like honeysuckle.

"Asbel!" Richard suddenly stood up, breaking Asbel from his sniffing. "Listen to your older brother when he talks!" Richard scolded, waving a finger in front of Asbel's dumbfounded face. He may not actually be his older brother, but Asbel did once try to call his brother when they were in Barona.

"Uh...s-sorry" Asbel scratched the back of his head, slightly flushed at his own action.

"Good, now eat your soup so we can get a move on."

"Okay, okay" Asbel chuckled and continued to eat his soup.

* * *

It was at least three hours and the two suddenly felt a sharp glare piercing through them. Asbel and Richard quickly drew their weapons and with a silent nod, quickly moving in for an attack.

"Frost breaker!"

"Sword deluge!"

"Alvitr!"

"Havoc strike!"

And just like that, Richter's ax and sword clashed against Asbel's blade while Ratatosk clashed with Richard after dodging the spell. Marta wasn't sure what to do or to say, but something told her that the two people in front of her weren't bad people.

"Who are you?" Richter asked sharply, pushing Asbel back with ease. Asbel landed on his feet and clenched his teeth a bit.

"Asbel Lhant...Who are you?" Asbel asked, keeping a close eye on the man.

"...What are you doing here?" Richter asked more of him, dodging Asbel's question.

"Me and my friend Richard came here for the hot springs..." Asbel wasn't sure if that was okay to tell his foes but was a bit relieved to see that he made a good choice, as he noticed Richter putting his weapons away. Richter sighed and rubbed his eyes from behind his glasses for a moment before looking back at Asbel.

"I see..."

While those two were talking, Ratatosk and Richard were still locked with their blades, staring into each other's eyes, waiting for their next move, though from the sound of it, it was okay to put their weapons away.

"...Tch" Ratatosk removed his sword and sheathed it.

"...Thank goodness" Richard smiled, thankful no one had to get hurt. Ratatosk could see it through Richard's kind eyes and stared at the man.

"...You remind me of Emil, your too soft-hearted," Ratatosk said in a low voice and closed his eyes, allowing Emil to take control again.

"Hmm? your eyes changed!?" Richard couldn't believe it. How could a person change their eyes?

"U-Um, sorry for attacking you, I'm Emil" He smiled and didn't bother using his fake last name.

"Uh, d-don't worry about it...and I'm Richard" Richard smiled, confused by the boy's sudden change of behavior but somehow it reminded him of when Lemda would possess him. Could it be the same thing or at least something possibly similar?

Once all four of them were all acquainted, Emil convinced Richter to let the two new friends soak in the hot springs with them...and despite how Richter felt about the idea, he couldn't say no to Emil's pleading eyes. And so they all made their way inside the bathhouse to get ready.

Emil and Marta seemed to get along with Richard and Asbel seemingly easy and this bothered Richter. He would glare a bit more than necessary and answered any question's gruffer and short than usual but why? Why was this making him feel this way though? Wasn't it good for Emil to make friends?

* * *

Everyone got dressed in their own dressing room and entered the hot springs. Richard wore a black towel around his waist while Asbel and Richter wore white. Marta, on the other hand, was on the other side of the hot springs all by herself...since she was the only girl.

Richter didn't exactly like sitting in the same pool with so many people but tried to ignore an incoming headache for Emil's sake and speaking of said boy, Emil had yet to join the other's in the hot springs. Was he still in the changing room?

"So Richter, why did you and Emil come here?" Richard asked. Asbel looked over, curious too.

Richter sighed. "I travel around the world to find undiscovered ruins and study them." He explained.

"I see, so what can you tell us about these hot springs?" Richard was curious, as the water seemed to heal the blister's on his hands.

"It's an old spring that was blessed by Undine 200 years ago by a summoner from the hidden clan of Mizuho. It was said to have been used to heal the sick and wounded but was buried away when a Mizuho member tried to abuse the powers of it and sealed it off" Though Richter was a bit annoyed before, he kind of liked talking about stuff like this again, it reminded him of when he and Aster would go over notes with each other.

"That sounds amazing, what else do you know?" Richard's eyes almost sparkled, fascinated by such a story. Asbel didn't exactly find it to be that great of a story but he did find it a bit interesting and sad.

While Richter was forced but not entirely suffering to explain more historical and ancient subjects, Emil was indeed in the changing room still, but not alone. Marta clung to his arm with flushed cheeks, trying to convince the boy to leave the other's to their own thing while she and Emil could sneak off on her side of the spring and spend some alone time together, kind of like what Ratatosk mentioned on the way here. Emil protested after protest with tomato cheeks, finding it hard to remove the girl's snake-like grip.

"M-Marta, let go" Emil couldn't dare yell at her nor could he do anything rough to her.

"But Emil, wouldn't you rather be alone together? I know that's how you must really feel if Ratatosk wanted too" Her voice cute and teasing, it made Emil nervous but it was mostly his arm that rubbed against her chest that bothered him, especially since she was only wearing a towel around herself.

"M-Marta" Emil couldn't deny it, Ratatosk had wanted to be with Marta, but...he was hoping to spend time with Richter.

"Please?" Continuing to plead. Emil finally lowered his head and whispered "Okay" It wouldn't be fair to himself, to Ratatosk. He might have wanted to spend time with Richter but he was very aware of how Ratatosk felt for Marta...despite her favoriting him. It hurt him knowing this. It was quite complicated. Though they were one in the same, they were also still their own souls.

"Really? Emil, I love you so much!" Her cheeks grew a brighter red and quickly lead the boy to her side of the springs. Emil looked over his shoulder to eye the male entrance and felt his heart split in two. It hurt so much...

Once Emil and Marta were in the water, Marta continued to hold the boy's arm and without saying a word, Emil lowered his head and let Ratatosk take over, hoping to relax a bit.

"Now we're finally alone, Marta," Ratatosk said, pulling the girl closer. She gasped in response and blushed even more.

"E-Emil" Marta felt her heart race, pounding against her chest as she felt the tingling sensation of the boy's hand around her waist, his finger's giving a light squeeze. She was even more nervous with Ratatosk's playful grin that was usually planted on his face, just as it was now.

Just when Ratatosk thought he could make another move on the girl, slightly muffled voices could be heard from the other side of the stone wall. Ratatosk's expression had suddenly become grim as he glared, as a particular conversation going on behind the wall bothered him greatly.

"Richter, your so smart. Your truly amazing" Ratatosk than suddenly sat up after hearing those words echo in his head, surprising Marta as she had no idea what had caused his sudden outburst.

"The hell!?" Ratatosk could tell from the sound of the voice that it had been Richard that had called Richter AMAZING before.

"E-Emil? W-What's wrong?" Marta couldn't understand and had hoped she hadn't done anything wrong...but then again Emil might have said something to Ratatosk and pissed him off or something. Seriously, it was annoying because you could never tell with those two.

Ratatosk put his ear to the stone wall, ignoring the girl as he tried to listen carefully. Marta, curious herself along with the boy's actions, joined next to him and put her ear to the stone wall as well, listening to the voices behind it.

"Richard, you too seem to have a vast knowledge of things from where you come from" D-did Richter praise someone else!?

"No, no. I don't nearly know as much as you. I've never met anyone so knowledgeable before" Did he smile at Richter when he said that?

"I didn't picture you the type...I apologize for miss judging you Richard" Stop it, don't apologize to anyone else...y-you never do that, remember?

"I could say the same. I pegged you to be a lot more...cold but I was very wrong" I-Is he implying Richter is...kind?

"Before you mentioned finding a special stone. Could I see it?" No, No one's suppose to be allowed to see Richter's stuff...not even I am...

"Here" He actually...showed him?

"It's beautiful. May I touch it?" No!

"...Go right ahead" B-But I wasn't allowed to...!?

"Wow...I can almost feel the emotion's behind the carvings...Is this from the Balacruf ruins you mentioned?" W-What all did Richter tell him...?

"Yes...I'm impressed you memorized all 40 thing's I talked about" 4-40!? Richter talked about historical and mystical 40 thing's...to someone...other than...me...?

Ratatosk lowered his head and fell to his knees. He felt hurt...betrayed. Had Richter started to become closer to Richard than him? His eyes faded back to green and could almost feel himself become near to tears. Marta had heard everything and saw how hurt the boy looked. Suddenly Marta began to piece everything together...It all started back in Luin and up to this point. Marta held her chest to ease the pain and kneeled down to the boy.

"Emil...You love Richter, don't you?" she asked. Emil's eyes widen as his cheeks heated up into a bright red.

"M-Marta I...It's not...I mean" The boy stammered, looking away from the girl.

"Emil...You've loved him all this time, haven't you?"

"Marta I...I really have loved Richter-san" A painful smile planted itself on his face, as he knew...Richter would never feel the same, much less for the man who killed Aster in cold blood and stole his face...

"Emil..." Marta now could only imagen just how much the boy must have been suffering and hugged him tightly.

"Marta...what do I do...? even if he liked me...wouldn't it be because I look like Aster?" Emil's eyes were hurt. the shine in his eyes had faded away, like a suicidal person excepting death's embrace.

"Emil...Don't think like that..." Marta may not know Richter very well but she knew he wasn't the type to do such a thing. Emil dropped his head as he didn't know what to believe. Marta had to think of something and fast.

"E-Emil, Richter, and Richard were just being friendly to each other" Marta explained, hoping to make the boy feel better but it didn't.

"Richter-san never showed his treasures to me..."

"M-Maybe because you two were enemies before" Marta encouraged.

"...He never told me 40 different stories like that before..."

"M-Maybe so but maybe he thought he'd just bore you with all of that stuff" She encouraged once more.

"..."

"Emil..." Marta hated seeing the boy like this but what was she to do?

Emil couldn't help but wonder how much Richter might have been smiling at Richard.

"E...Emil" Marta could only imagine how he must be feeling and tightened her grip on him but she lifted her head when she heard the voice's behind the wall.

"I'm worried about Emil, he isn't here yet" That must be Richard talking.

"Yeah, where is he?" Asbel for sure.

"...I'll go find him" R-Richter! Marta quickly stood up from the boy, dropping him in the water.

"E-Emil, Richter's coming!" She panicked.

"W-What?" Emil regained his senses from the hitting of water to Marta's sudden warning.

"Hurry, Hurry!" Marta began to shove the boy out of the water. "You have to go!" Marta said, trying to remind the boy that they were on the girl side of the springs. Emil panicked, as he didn't know how to face Richter.

"W-What should I say?"

"I don't care! Just go before he see's me naked in a towel!" And with a final shove, Marta kicked Emil our of her side of the springs. Emil tripped and stumbled a bit, trying not to lose his balance and suddenly came into contact with something hard, wet and very warm.

"Emil?" Emil quickly pulled away, only to realize it was Richter's extremely sexy chest that he had bumped into. He flushed brightly at the sight and all thoughts in his head melted and were replaced by a new never forgettable image of the older man.

"R-R-Richter-san, I'm sorry!" He quickly bowed, as he apologized for rudely bumping into him earlier.

"Emil, where were you?" Brushing off the urge to scold the boy for always apologizing, he asked a question instead. Had it been a stranger than fine, apologize but he and Emil weren't stranger's, so there was no need to apologize.

"I-I was...uh...I...um..u-um...M-Marta wanted me to see something, s-sorry if I worried you" Emil could feel his voice shake, the heat in his face not once cooling down as the sight of the man continued to blur his thoughts.

"...I see" Richter scoffed, annoyed by the boy's nervousness explanation.

He sighed. "Than let's head back," Richter said and began to walk back to the Richard and Asbel.

"Richter-san." Emil than reached for Richter, unable to actually touch him.

"What is it?"

"U-Um...w-will you show me your treasure's from around the world?" His head lowered, scared he might have annoyed the man.

"...Of course. Remind me later when we're done"

"R-Really?" Emil lifted his head and smiled brightly with flushed cheeks.

"Yes," Richter smiled a bit, and gently petting the boy on top of his head, ruffling his hair. Emil froze and felt his heart pounding in his chest and looked up to see that very smile for himself, almost wanting to cry...he was so happy.

* * *

Back a few hours previously to when Richter was talking with Richard. Asbel for some reason was feeling...very displeased with how Richter made Richard's eyes sparkle. His eyebrow twitched, trying not to glare down the older man.

Whenever Asbel thought about trying to be super cool and smart, he would butt in and try to explain something scientifical about something...but always failed as Richter would correct him with the proper answer while Richard would cutely chuckle at him for being so stupid about this sort of thing.

"Richard, don't laugh!" Asbel scolded.

"But it's funny" Richard continued to chuckle.

Richter sighed and couldn't help but wish that Emil was here...to sit by his side.

"B-But Richard, your suppose to have my back" Asbel whined in sorrow.

"Hahaha, I'm sorry Asbel" Richard wiped the tear from his eye and tried to cease his laughter.

Richter ignored the two, as the thought of how the boy's hair might smell when wet. A slight pink blush crossed his cheeks.

Once Richard stopped laughing at Asbel, he asked Richter to continue talking and even asked to see one of his treasures. Richter kindly agreed to show him, finding Richard to be far more interesting than he had originally thought, as he appreciated someone who loved historic's and such. After enough time had passed, Richard and Asbel grew worried for Emil, as well as Richter, so Richter left them to go and find the boy, leaving Richard and Asbel alone.

"Isn't Richter interesting? He's even a half-elf" Richard smiled.

"I guess" Asbel grumbled.

"Asbel, stop being so jealous" He scolded, catching Asbel by surprise.

"J-Jealous!?" He blushed.

"Yes, your clearly jealous of his superior intellectual brain" Richard explained. Asbel sighed. He wasn't wrong but not exactly right either...Asbel was jealous of how smart he was for sure...but mostly it was because, how easy he fascinated Richard.

"It's not like that" Asbel murmured, lowering his head. Richard took notice of the more serious tone and became serious himself.

"Asbel...what's wrong?"

"Richard...I...The truth is, I was jealous because..." As much as Asbel shouldn't say it, he wasn't very good at hiding his feelings or thoughts, especially from Richard, so he might as well tell him now right. About why he was jealous...and maybe even more because as of lately, Asbel had wanted more than anything was to wrap his arms around the blonde and keep him safe in his arms forever, making him his personal king...but was it really only lately? Thinking back on it, hadn't he always just want to hold Richard and make him smile, no matter the cost? So than...all this time he must have been in love with Richard.

"Asbel...?" Richard desperately wanted to know his friends' troubles and help him in any way he could.

"Richard, I-" Before Asbel could finish, the voice of Emil interrupted him.

"-Sorry we're late" Emil smiled sheepishly, still flushed, just being so close to Richter.

"Emil" Richard smiled, relieved to see him and somehow seeing the boy standing next to Richter made him...happy.

"E-Emil, glad you could finally join us" Asbel smiled, deciding to tell Richard another time.

"Y-Yeah" Emil rubbed the back of his head. Richter walked past him and took a seat. Emil continued to blush at the sight of him and followed, sitting next to him.

"So Emil, Richter told me you're really good at cooking?" Richard asked.

"H-He did!? I-I mean, yeah...er...I-I'm not that great though" Emil blushed madly, glancing up to gaze upon Richter's stoic expression. For a moment, Emil's eyes sparkled and even turned red for just a moment.

* * *

The four of them continued to talk and discuss various things until they had finished soaking, feeling warm and refreshed as they all got dressed and headed out to meet up with Marta and had Ratatosk use Ignis keep them warm again while they decided what to do next.

"So what are you and Asbel going to do now Richard?" Emil asked.

"Well, now that the hot springs are opened up, I can tell the people of Zavhert about it"

"Maybe we could come with you" Marta suggested, reading Emil's mind.

"Yeah, it might even help if I use my monster's to get us there faster" Emil added.

"Ah...Richter mentioned you being a summon spirit and being lord of monster's" Richard mentioned.

"H-He did?" Emil blushed, feeling the butterflies in his stomach. Knowing Richter talked so much about him was so embarrassing. It made Emil really happy that Richter talked about him and wondered if he did it with a smile.

"So are we going together then?" Asbel asked but turned his head when he heard Richter sigh.

"I have other things to do" He scoffed.

"I see...that's unfortunate" Richard frowned a bit. Asbel twitched a brow with intense anger as if Richard seemed sad that Richter would be leaving.

"B-But Richter-san" Emil pleaded.

"...Emil" Richter tried to keep his expression serious.

"...Please, Richter-san?"

"..." Fuck. He sighed and rubbed the upper bridge of his nose. "Fine."

"You mean it!? "Emil grinned happily with pink cheeks. Richard smiled and found it quite cute that Richter had given in to Emil's puppy eyes.

"That's great! When we finish, let's head back to Richard's castle for a bite to eat" Asbel suggested.

"C-Castle!?" Emil and Marta both blushed. Both were aware he was a king but didn't really think about where a king would live up until now at least even though they had met with the king of Meltokioonce before with their friends.

"We'll have Emil cook us a meal right?" Richard smiled, turning his gaze towards the boy.

"Y-Yeah" Emil nodded with a smile.

And so, the five of them would be traveling together a bit more...despite Richter obviously being dragged into something once again. While on their way to Richard's castle, Marta ended up talking with Asbel a lot more than Emil. Richard happily listened while in and behind them was Emil, sharing his journal for Richter to read, smiling and blushing and apparently making it very clear to not look at one of the pages, being the one with his hair stuck to it. Richter chuckled a bit at Emil 's adorable protest and continued to smile with the boy. If Richard had to guess, Emil was in love with Richter while Richter was unaware of his feelings towards the boy.

Richard turned his gaze from Richter and Emil to Asbel and Marta, reminded that Cheria would soon be Asbel's wife. His gaze fell to the ground and his smile faded, feeling like he would lose Asbel forever if Cheria were to marry him...leaving him with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone. I originally posted this on FanFiction.Net but later decided to post it here.  
I really hope you guys enjoy this one as much as I do ^^
> 
> I also plan on making a few edits to the chapters as I post them, so don't be surprised if a few things are changed.
> 
> I some of you might be wondering "6 months? Then how is Richter here?" Well, don't worry, there will be an explanation eventually, and if I never get to that point, feel free to make up your own solution to what happened c;


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